7 Target 1911 Pistols for Your Next Competitive Shooting Match

Tactical 1911s might be all the rage, but gun makers are still offering 1911 pistols with adjustable sights for competition — here are seven of the best.

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Tactical-Life

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Colt Gold Cup National MatchColt Gold Cup National Match: This full-sized, 5-inch-barreled 1911 is a direct descendant of the original Colt National Match pistol that appeared back in the 1930s. The current Gold Cup is an all-steel gun that has a National Match barrel and bushing, a Series 70 trigger mechanism and a BoMar-style rear sight. Available in .45 ACP, it has a reduced-power recoil spring and is tuned specifically for target loads.

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Les Baer Premier IILes Baer Premier II: This all-steel, 5-inch-barreled custom pistol from Les Baer has a hand-fitted National Match slide, barrel, bushing and frame. It also has a BoMar-style adjustable rear sight, a tuned extractor and custom checkering on the grip’s frontstrap and mainspring housing. Available in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, .38 Super and 9mm, the Les Baer Premier II pistol can be special-ordered to produce 1.5-inch groups at 50 yards.

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Rock River Arms Bullseye WadcutterRock River Arms Bullseye Wadcutter: This custom, 5-inch-barreled, all-steel pistol has a full-length top rib for mounting adjustable iron sights or optical sights, a throated Kart National Match barrel with a National Match bushing and a Commander-style hammer and sear. Currently available in .45 ACP, the Bullseye Wadcutter from Rock River Arms is guaranteed to shoot 1.5-inch groups at 50 yards with 185-grain Federal Gold Medal Match SWC ammunition.

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Ruger SR1911 TargetRuger SR1911 Target: Ruger’s SR1911 Target in .45 ACP is the target version of the very popular SR1911 pistol that came out several years ago. It has a low-glare matte stainless finish, a fully adjustable rear sight, a beavertail grip safety, an ambidextrous thumb safety, a Series 70 trigger with a titanium firing pin and partially checkered wood grips.

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Sig Sauer 1911 Nitron Super TargetSig Sauer 1911 Nitron Super Target: This 5-inch-barreled 1911 from Sig Sauer has a Nitron-finished slide and frame, custom wood grips, a BoMar-style adjustable rear sight and a fiber-optic front sight. The sights are very easy to pick up when you’re on the clock. The 1911 Super Target is currently available in .45 ACP, and Sig Sauer also offers an all-stainless steel version with similar custom wood grips.

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Springfield Armory Range OfficerSpringfield Armory Range Officer: The all-steel Range Officer has a 5-inch, match-grade barrel, and like many other competition-grade 1911s, it has a beavertail grip safety, a precisely fitted barrel bushing, a BoMar-style adjustable rear sight and well-made wood grips. Available with Parkerized or stainless steel finishes, the Range Officer comes in either 9mm or .45 ACP.

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Wilson Combat ClassicWilson Combat Classic: The Wilson Combat Classic is a custom-made pistol that has a match-grade, 5-inch barrel, a match-grade bushing, a high-ride beavertail grip safety, a hand-fitted trigger that breaks cleanly between 3.5 and 4.5 pounds, and a full-sized carbon steel slide and frame with a durable Armor-Tuff finish. The Wilson Combat Classic is available in .45 ACP, 10mm, .40 S&W, .38 Super and 9mm.

Even though tactical 1911 pistols with fixed sights are by far the most popular in today’s market, there are still a number of companies that offer 1911 pistols with adjustable sights that are suitable for competitions. The prices are highly variable depending upon the amount of hand-fitting that goes into a specific pistol’s manufacture and whether the manufacturer will custom build the pistol to meet the buyer’s specific requirements. Here are a few quality pistols from some of the nation’s leading manufacturers.